When last found sitting in front of a monitor (Sat), ol' Solitaire here was thinking that on the next morning the total list of friends would be gone through--good intentions all around.

However, when the computer was turned on (Sun), I was greeted with silence. Connections were checked, all power systems seemed to work, but there was no response. Zilch city.

After a day of futzing around with it, I figured the mother board was fried. Off to the computer shop I trotted (Mon), and today (Thurs) I learned I was correct.

So here I sit, 5 days later, with a new computer, all updated (no Windows 98!), quiet, and, so far, quite acceptable. Now if I can only figure out how to retrieve my email, print stuff out, enlarge the print on the screen, etc. I'll be all set. I'm just getting started.

So be patient, dear friends. So much to do, so little time. I'll get around to catching up with all your lives one of these days. And for that, I apologize. But for now, it's garden harvest time, wood cutting, my daughter's farm, my father's house (I painted there today), and my ever present morning golf. Oh yes, and I'm recovering from a 2 day case (I suspect) of food poisoning (melon?). I'll spare details.

Catch you in a couple.